Meet Sistine Stallone, Sly’s Model Daughter

Though there is no set formula for success, there are a few benchmarks that are guaranteed to get an aspiring model noticed: Being signed by a major agency, landing work with key photographers, and having an interesting backstory all help to make a new face stand out from the pack. Sistine Stallone has all three and this generation’s trump card: a famous parent. Signing with IMG models, getting shot by photography legends Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, and hailing from Hollywood royalty–you may have heard of Stallone’s dad, Sylvester?–make her one fresh face to watch for in the coming year. But even without the Hollywood connection, Stallone’s all-American good looks and her devoted work ethic would be cause for industry interest–drawn to fashion from an early age, the serious-sounding Stallone has always had modeling on the mind. “I don’t enjoy acting as much as I love modeling,” says the 17-year-old model. “I was drawn to the art and craftsmanship of what goes into creating unique images,”

Stallone’s innate love for fashion may have a little to do with her family history. Everyone picks up a few life lessons from mom, but Stallone’s mother, Jennifer Flavin, was a superstar model in the early 1990s. “She has taught me to show up on time and be willing to do what it takes to deliver the photographers vision,” says Stallone; “arrive a little bit early, stay a little bit later, and work as hard as you can in between.” At ease in front of the camera, Stallone has amassed a healthy following on social media. With many calling Instagram a game changer within the entire industry, Stallone approaches the platform with a degree of pragmatism. “I think it’s a matter of reality; we have to embrace technology and use it to one’s advantage.”

A fan of the kind of laid-back SoCal style that mixes cutoffs and crisp white shirts with slip dresses and Comme des Garçons Converses, Stallone favors a look she calls “comfortable yet chic,” but she still finds herself taken by the fantastical looks she sees on the runway. “It never ceases to amaze me how designers can be so continually creative,” says Stallone, “I’ve always been intrigued by cultural and artistic integrity [in fashion].” With her catwalk debut still on the horizon, Stallone is busy booking editorials, enjoying time with friends and studying for her final exams. Still she’s ready for wherever modeling may take her, “You never know what to expect—I just hope to achieve my maximum potential, whatever that may be.”